This application claims priority to German Application Number 100 42 284.5 filed Aug. 29, 2000.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an ironing board with two hinged legs which fold for storage. The improvement lies in the shape and placement of the legs which provide for more room for the person using the ironing board.
2. The Background Art
A generic ironing board was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,510. In this known ironing board, the leg has an initially straight area at the top, then bends to the outside at an obtuse angle and smoothly flows into a bend in the foot section, where the leg runs transverse to the lengthwise expansion of the ironing surface. In this case, the two legs of the stand are designed in such a way that the bent area of the one leg lies on the one transverse side of the ironing surface viewed in vertical projection, and the bent area of the other leg lies on the opposing transverse side, so that the foot sections extending in the transverse direction extend in a direction opposite the respective other foot section. The disadvantage to this design of the stand is that one area of the leg extends relatively far to the outside on either side of the ironing board stand, so that, with the ironing board set up, users run the risk of tripping over the projecting leg when coming relatively close to the ironing board while ironing. In addition, such a stand does not give the user sitting or standing at the ironing board optimal freedom of movement.
German Patent No. DE 198 06 429 A1 discloses an ironing board with a stand in which the two legs are bent in a wide arc, giving the user sitting or standing at one side of the ironing board more room to move his or her legs. In this ironing board, both foot sections extend in the same direction viewed from the lower end of the leg, namely transverse to the ironing surface. However, the leg and foot section in this ironing board consist of separate tube sections, wherein the lower end of the leg tube section forms a butt joint with the foot tube section, so that the respective tube sections of the leg and foot section must be joined together, e.g., by welding. In this case, it is not possible to bend one half the stand comprised of only one tube section during fabrication. In addition, the shape of the foot sections prevents the stand from optimally standing on the base. Sufficient tilting resistance is also not ensured given certain load situations.
The object of the present invention is to provide an ironing board in which the stand gives the user abundant room to move his or her legs, while still ensuring a high level of accident safety and tilting resistance for the stand.
In an ironing board according to the invention, the portion of the legs that extend from under the ironing surface to the foot is curved inward like an arc, but not in a single, continuous arc, rather as an upper arc with a first vertex lying roughly in the area of the hinge linking together both legs, with a second vertex of the leg between the first and third vertices, so that the mid section of the leg is bent first in one direction, and then in the other direction, a third vertex lying in the region of the bend of less than 90xc2x0 where the curved lower section of the leg flows into the foot section. In this case, the bend in both legs is preferably on the same side viewed from the front of the ironing board, so that both foot sections extend from there parallel to the opposing transverse side.
Each of the two legs is preferably an essentially tubular section that extends from under the ironing surface in several bends up to the end of the foot section. Fabrication is particularly easy when the entire leg consists of a continuously bent tube section that is only bent in the appropriate manner during manufacture, so that no joints, welds or the like are necessary. The leg could also be fabricated out of several tube sections, but the latter would then each have a shared axis where jointed, and not butt together at an angle, thus making the legs telescoping.
Due to the fact that at the transition between the upper and mid section the leg is curved in a wide arc whose vertex preferably lies at the height of the hinge, the legs, therefore, provide sufficient legroom on the side of the ironing board where the user is positioned. At the same time, however, the leg is shaped in such a way as to ensure optimal standing safety and tilting resistance of the stand. Since both foot sections extend in the same transverse direction from the transitional area lying only a little above the base(the floor supporting the legs), and the foot sections are themselves relatively flat, there is no danger of someone tripping over the foot sections. The lower sections extend back toward the end of the foot sections in the middle vertex area, thereby giving the user sufficient leg room there as well.
In an embodiment of the legs, the angle between the upper and mid sections is approximately 135xc2x0 in its bent transitional area viewed from the front of the ironing board, so that the angle between the lower section and the foot section has an acute angle of 45xc2x0 or less.
At the middle vertex, the angle between mid and lower section of the leg is approximately 90xc2x0 as viewed from the front of the ironing board, wherein this angle is preferably smaller than the angle between the upper and mid section of the leg.
A turning point lies between the upper vertex, in the hinge area, and middle vertex, in the curved progression of the mid section, wherein the mid section is initially bent in one direction from the bottom of the ironing surface to this turning point, and then bent in the opposite direction under that. The curving direction preferably changes again between the middle vertex and the lower vertex, i.e., in the lower section.
In one preferred structural development of the ironing board according to the invention, a bearing area is established at the foot section by means of a foot piece in the transitional area between the foot and the lower section. Contrary to the prior art described at the outset, a relatively large surface area support is preferably used instead of a point- or linear-shaped support.
Such a relatively large surface area support can be provided by shaping the foot piece roughly like a shoe having the mentioned relatively large surface area support on the bottom and a type of half-shell on top, which can be placed, preferably pressed, on the tubular leg. Such a foot piece is preferably made out of plastic.
The features mentioned in the subclaims relate to further developments of the solution according to the invention. Further advantages of the invention are found in the following detailed description.